Monday, August 29, 2011

Swiss Chard and Herb Tart

I keep lavender by the door for luck. Believe if you put basil under your pillow, you will see your true love and build Midsummer bonfires for the faeries. Gardens are magical to me. The transformation of a seed into a fruit, vegetable, flower or herb is part science and part enchantment. You will never convince me otherwise.

It is inconceivable to me that my French thyme would have returned after the brutal, long winter winter of 2010-2011. But it did. And I felt I had to do it justice.

I am attracted to tarts. If there is more meaning to that fact, I won't explore it. And while I never would pass on a sweet fruit tart or an almond cream tart - when given a choice to bake - I go for the savory. The summer sun still graces us with its strong sunbeams but all is more filtered now. The light seems more delicate. And that is thyme. Faery-twigs of tiny delicate leaves that impart a soft, fragrant flavor. A kiss from the earth.

The Swiss Chard and Herb Tart hails from Tuscany - a place that I remember of soft light - hidden behind hills and filtered through trees. The recipe is from Bon Appetit's May 2000 issue that was devoted to Tuscany. I almost have that issue memorized. And if you know me - I don't toil in the kitchen. This is easy - using frozen puff pastry for the crust.

There are a lot of summer greens you can play with: spinach, kale, arugula. Basil would also marry well and I wouldn't argue if found yourself incorporating zucchini and/or tomatoes instead of the greens.

Soft, savory, flaky. Italian rustic. A touch of the wild and the bitter wrapped in sweet pillows of cheese. As you serve this, you feel touched by Tuscany.

Havent tried collards or swiss chard, with so many wonderful posts lately I am curious what these taste like which family my guess is escarole? I just love this tart, greens are my favorite I know I will adore this!

Love Swiss chard and the tart looks splendid! Bought a couple of bundles from the farm market last week and I have enjoyed them tremendously with a simple stir-fry (scattered with some black forest smoked bacon bits), on thin crust pizzas, etc. Gotta some again on Thursday-farmer market time!

Did you know that the agriturismo farm I stayed at in Tuscany also grew lots of "bietola"? I love it, and am constantly cooking with it-just like you.This recipe is new to me, because I've never thought of combining Swiss chard with cheese, a great idea!

I'm sold! You took me on a lovely herbal fantasy trip. (Never heard about basil under the pillow.) Your story and recipe, both perfectly delightful. (And I love chard and have an abundance of it in the garden still.)

Wow. This is something very like what they serve in Corsica (well, it's just about Italian ;-)Looks delicious and love your herbs. Didn't realise about the basil under the pillow and lavender for luck.

Wow, that's incredibly gorgeous. I need to get my hands on that issue. I surprised that the magazine would have you boil the chard and then saute it. I think your way makes tons more sense (and leaves the nutrients in the chard where they belong).

Back to tell you how to make pretty cream puffs. I used a cookie disher and scooped equal amounts onto a cookie sheet. Then, with a damp finger, I just lightly pressed down any spikes. Easy as can be. Hope you've had a great day, Claudia :)

I'm more of a savory tart person myself too. Now if only I could learn to like Swiss chard...Looks like I'll be using spinach. Love your sprig of time on top. I'll have to try the basil under the pillow trick Claudia.Sam

hi claudia, this tar looks so yummy with cheese, one of my favorite ingredients. simply delicious, with aromatic herbs to enhance flavor. thanks ,would love to try this.glad i blog walk to your site.. hi, i am Wan, from malaysia, do visit my blog , would love to read a comment from you too. have a nice day

I'm wishing I had one of these to welcome my out of town guests with! Just Beautiful! Thank you for sharing a delicious and inspiring recipe, my friend. I hope your weekend is full of laughter! Hugs from Austin.